


The Lonely Hearts Club

by slowburnsab



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Grover (Percy Jackson) is a Good Friend, Idiots in Love, Inspired by She Loves Me (Musical), POV Alternating, Slow Burn, They're both soft, annabeth is so strong, its all about the yearning, mentions of sex non-explicit/hinted at, minor piper/jason, mortals au, percabeth, the tiniest mention of Reyna...like in passing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:35:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25246978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowburnsab/pseuds/slowburnsab
Summary: Inspired by the musical "She Loves Me" this fic follows Annabeth and Percy fall in love with each other without them knowing it. This is my first fic and I'm hoping I do these two characters justice, I love them so much!
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Piper McLean
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Percy's POV

At 26, Percy knew he shouldn’t be in a rush to find love. He was young, he didn’t need to settle down. But he was incredibly lonely, and waking up everyday just to claw at the empty sheets beside him and ponder why no one filled the space was getting old. So Percy was happy to have another long day of work at The Big House ahead of him to distract him from his loneliness.

The boutique he worked at was upscale and expensive, and as head clerk and what he would describe as assistant manager, Percy had to dress to impress. He pulled on a pair of navy blue dress pants and a white and blue pinstripe button up. A brown belt and brown leather shoes completed the look. He kept his inky black hair a bit messy, and kept the top buttons of his shirt undone. Before he left his apartment, which he shared with his old college friend Jason, he grabbed a coffee and made himself a sandwich for his lunch break.

On his way to work he picked up a newspaper, with his dyslexia having a hard copy made it easier to read than looking up the news on his phone. There was another reason he liked purchasing the newspaper, one he was very reluctant to admit. The Lonely Hearts Club. A section of the paper that was full of tiny advertisements ranging from “Young woman seeks young man for nightly companionship” to “Young man looking for young man” to “Older gentleman looking for young lady”. Underneath each ad was an address you could write to or an email. Percy spent a lot of time looking at this particular page.

Grover, an older clerk at The Big House, always managed to catch him. “You should just put an ad up, or respond to one if you're curious. Worse case scenario they don’t respond, or you choose to end communication if they’re a bit weird. But it’s all anonymous so no one gets truly hurt.”

Percy turned to face his older friend, “You really think it’ll be that easy? Also like I’m sure only insane people actually reply or put in ads, this stuff is all so outdated.” That was part of the charm for Percy, the old romantic beginnings that The Lonely Hearts Club had.

“You complain you’re lonely, you are obsessed with this section of the paper, and you’re a hopeless romantic. I say go for it,” Grover said. The two of them were both in the middle of getting the store ready for opening, folding sweaters and reorganizing other merchandise. Just as Percy was to respond, Ms. Piper McClean came strolling into the shop giggling with Greg by her side. The two other clerks at the store that were in a terribly hidden on and off relationship. Today they were apparently on.

“It’s such a beautiful day to be stuck inside working,” Piper exclaimed. She was the only girl that Percy knew who could make the dress she wore to work yesterday look just as good for her shift today.

Percy sighed, today would be a great day, made even better if you had a special someone in your life to share it with. The entire team finished their opening operations, Percy now resolved to put an advertisement in the paper during his lunch break. He could barely contain the stupid smile that was pushing its way onto his face.

The owner of the store, Mr. Brunner appeared out of his office located on the second floor of the shop and gave a small pep talk before telling Piper to open the doors. The day moved swiftly, Percy was a hard worker, especially when commission was involved. It helped that his clientele was mostly women and that he was decently attractive in a roguish way. Pretty soon it was time for his lunch break. Percy gave a quick heads up to the team that he would be taking his break outside of the store and tried to ignore the smug all knowing look that Grover was giving him.

He all but ran to the newspaper office to purchase his small advertisement. If his hands were shaking or if his voice seemed off the nice secretary taking his order didn’t mention it, and even wished him good luck on getting the response he was so craving. He purchased his advertisement to be visible for 4 weeks, hoping that would be enough time for someone to consider him. His ad read:

Young Man looking for Young Woman.  
Looking for love, serious inquiries only.

The rest of the ad had his P.O. Box, Percy liked receiving mail and only had one email address that was percyj_blue96@hotmail.com (who even used hotmail anymore). He figured his email would be a dead giveaway to his identity. As he left the newspaper office he prayed to whoever that someone would answer his ad, that he would find love.

Grover said it was sweet that he was nervous. The rest of his work week went by in a blur. He checked his mailbox religiously. He hoped he'd find the one.


	2. Chapter 2

Annabeth's POV

Annabeth was tired. The date she had just been on was terrible, he only talked about himself and when the bill came he expected her to cover it. She laughed and said that she wasn’t looking for a child to look after and left the restaurant deleting Tinder and other dating apps off her phone. As she made her way home she couldn’t help but wish for some movie like romance to sweep off her feet. She was tired of meeting guys who only wanted her for a quick hookup or couldn’t even split their date bill.

Her roommate Piper noticed her coming through the door of their shared apartment and called out from the living room, “Let me guess he didn’t tip the waiter and made a sexist remark like how you’re different from the other girls?”

Annabeth laughed as she made her way to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. “I wish that was what this guy did. He didn’t let me talk the entire time and then had the audacity to expect me to cover the whole date that he set up!” She kicked off her heels and dragged herself to the couch to snuggle with her best friend and tell her more about her failed attempts of finding love.

Piper looked at Annabeth and pulled her into a hug. “Well at least your date is over, and at least you don’t have to deal with a guy who won’t define your relationship.” Piper sighed. She was talking about her situationship with her coworker Greg. Annabeth had begged Piper to leave him behind, that a real man who really cared for her would define the relationship and just be with her. But Piper said their chemistry was too good, that she could change him.

Annabeth looked at her best friend and decided that there would be no more boy talk for the rest of the evening and that they were to drink wine and finish the ice cream in their freezer while watching Mamma Mia! Piper was quick to agree, it was Friday and both her and Annabeth had too long of a work week. Annabeth was interning at an exclusive architecture firm, trying to climb the ranks and be hired into the company. She was also currently looking for a side job to help pay bills as her internship was basically unpaid and she hated to rely on her family for financial help. She liked being independent. The rest of the girls evening was full of dramatic reenactments of the musical and exclamations on how perfect men didn’t exist, but god did they both want one.

The next morning Annabeth woke up in her bed, a slight headache and a reminder that she needed to be looking for a second job. A quick glance at her phone showed that it was only 9 in the morning, so she didn’t sleep her whole day away. She got out of her bed and took a quick shower. After getting dressed and checking in on Piper, who was still fast asleep, she grabbed her laptop and charger and headed to the local coffee shop to do some job hunting and her favorite cup of coffee.

She was giving her order to the barista and saw a copy of the local paper on the counter, she normally didn’t read it but something was telling her to pick it up. As she settled back into her little booth in the corner of the shop she picked her way through the paper, settling on a section titled The Lonely Hearts Club. She wanted to laugh at it, people write letters, anonymous letters to others simply off of a small advert in the paper. There was a small part of her though, the part that was craving romance and something real that didn’t let her dismiss this page. Instead she read through all the adverts, settling on one that said:

Young Man looking for Young Woman.  
Looking for love, serious inquiries only.

It had a P.O. Box attached to it, and that was the entire ad. Annabeth didn’t understand why but something about those few words pulled at her heart strings, calling her. She very carefully ripped out the advertisement and placed it in her wallet, for whatever reason that she wasn’t sure of yet. One thing was for certain, there was no way she would share this with Piper; that was a sure fire way to get called desperate (which she wasn’t). Annabeth was a very independent, self-assured type of woman. She enjoyed the arts, history (especially Greek mythology), and good food. She wanted love, but she wanted it on her own terms.

Annabeth shook her head and turned to her computer, powering it up and going on a job site. In the back of mind she made herself a promise, that if she happened to see the advertisement two more times she would write a letter. She set her eyes on her computer screen and began to look for part time work, and smiled when she saw a position available at the same boutique her roommate Piper worked at. She bookmarked the application and kept looking, she wasn’t too fond of customer service but she knew they made commission which could add up and be extremely beneficial.

She finished her coffee and bookmarked a few other applications. Tossing her laptop and the newspaper in her bag she headed back towards her apartment. A small smile on her face, maybe things were starting to look up. Maybe she would just send a letter because she could. Because the worst thing that could happen is she doesn’t get a response, or isn’t interested in what he sends back. It’s all anonymous, probably better than going on another Tinder date. And it seemed a bit romantic, like the old movies she liked to watch.

Maybe she wouldn’t wait.

Dear Friend,

I saw your ad in the paper and I felt compelled to respond. You see I think we are both tired and lonely. This all feels a bit awkward, but I hope you will respond. I think this will be interesting.

Your Friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Percy's POV

Percy tried not to think about. He really wasn’t checking his P.O. Box every night after closing the store. He really wasn’t nervous that no one would respond, he was nervous that the right girl wouldn’t respond. He was afraid that he romanticized the whole ordeal too much, that of course this was a reasonable way to find love. His friend Grover poked fun at him, especially when he would rush through closing to try to get to the post office in time to check his mail. It had been two weeks since he put his ad up in the paper. He had received some letters, none that called to him as being the one for him. They were bland and some seemed a little sketchy.

Percy was about to call the whole thing a failure when he stumbled upon “the letter”. It was on light gray paper, it had a dark purple wax seal keeping it closed, and it was handwritten. He liked that. It was just a few lines. Short. The author of the letter didn’t disclose anything about themselves, but she spoke the truth, he could feel that. He held the paper to his chest and he got a whiff of lemon. This is it. This is why he put his ad in the paper. This is why he believes in fate and love. This is the letter he would respond to.

The next morning before work he stopped at the newspaper’s office and requested to have his ad pulled, and dropped off the letter he stood up late last night writing in the mailbox. He was almost skipping as he made his way to The Big House. Percy tried to calm himself down and he might have appeared a regular happy Percy to the store owner Mr. Brunner, or his coworkers Greg and Piper. But Grover immediately saw through him.  
Throughout the day all he heard from his friend was, “So what’s got you all happy,” or “You got a letter didn’t you,” or “I know you’re hiding something from me Percy!” Grover didn’t push too hard, he knew that Percy would tell him as soon as he had the chance. He was excited for his friend to find love, he knew he would be nowhere without his wife Juniper.

As the store emptied in the mid afternoon, Percy turned to Grover and said, “I found her! I just know it has to be her, there’s something that just pulls me to this letter.” He tells Grover the contents of the letter, how the paper smelled like lemon, how it’s purple wax seal had an imprint of an owl, and begins to explain his response.

“I didn’t want to come on too strong, so I said like my age and that I work at the head of a retail establishment and that I really love the ocean and the show I’m currently watching and like my favorite type of music. That’s not too much right, oh god. Was that too much? Did it make me sound boring, what if she thinks I don’t want to hear about her? What if-” Percy started hyperventilating.

“Percy! Relax, your response was great. You’ll probably hear back from her soon, and I’m sure she’s going to be impressed.” Grover was great at bringing Percy back down to Earth. Percy was happy to have someone to confide in about his letters, although he was probably going to tell Jason and his mother soon. He liked being transparent to his loved ones, and he was sure both his mother and Jason would be excited to see him talking to a girl. Even if it was through anonymous letter writing.

Just as Percy was going to respond to Grover, Mr. Brunner came running out of his office excitedly holding a mysterious box. Mr. Brunner loved buying new products for the store, even products that didn’t manage to sell very well.

“Would you look at the newest cigar box that just came in,” he said excitedly. He opened the black velvet box and a soft melody began to play. The employees of The Big House tried to stifle their laughter. Percy’s laughter was a bit louder than the rest of them, causing his boss to turn towards him. “Is this merchandise amusing to you Mr. Jackson? Do you not think it will be successful?”

Percy usually found himself at the end of Brunner’s queries so he swallowed his pride and said, “Of course they’ll sell sir, I can’t be certain on when they will sell, but I’m sure it will end up as a gift to someone.” Percy was one of the boutique’s top salesperson, his commissions were usually the largest (some may say because his customers were too enthralled with how he looked to think about the price), so he figured he had a good handle on what items would sell.

A slow smile began to grace Mr. Brunner’s face. “Well how about a friendly bet. I think we can sell one of these musical cigar boxes in the next hour. If we don’t you get an extra 20 minute paid break to be taken anytime this week, and if we do sell one you get to buy me lunch tomorrow.” Percy though that was hardly a fair deal, but an extra break would be all too beneficial and they were hard to come by.

“You’ve got yourself a deal sir,” Percy said, shaking hands with his superior. The store would be slow for the remainder of the evening anyways, and no one Percy knew still bought cigar boxes, much less musical cigar boxes.

Percy finished setting up the display for these terrible items and a few customers straggled into the shop. He could hear his boss trying to sell them the new product, but the client was uninterested and had come to the shop with a list. Percy could hear the disappointment and the struggle in Mr. Brunner’s voice as he helped the client find what she was looking for. Just as Percy finished setting up the display he heard the shopkeeper’s bell ring announcing another customer had entered the boutique. He looked up and was about to greet the person who walked through but was thoroughly taken aback by how beautiful and confident she looked. She was tall, just a few inches shorter than his six foot frame, and had the loveliest blonde hair--something he could only describe as princess curls. Her skin was perfectly tanned, as if she just stepped off the beach, with complimentary freckles dusting her cheeks and nose. Her best feature, Percy thought, were her eyes. They were a shocking gray shade, darkened with determination as she made her way right to him.

“Good afternoon, I’m looking to speak with the owner of this establishment,” the gorgeous girl in front of him said. It took a few seconds for Percy to shake himself out of his dreamworld and register that he was being spoken to. A light blush rose to his cheeks as he apologized and asked for her name.

She smiled, god Percy thought that smile could get him in trouble, “My name is Annabeth Chase, and I’m looking to speak with Mr. Brunner I believe that’s his name. I have to speak to him.”

“What’s the rush?” Percy joked.

“Well, I just have urgent business to discuss with him, privately.” The blonde fidgeted with the sleeves of her blouse. She seemed nervous.

“You must be here for the new position, the seasonal spot. I’m afraid that I don’t believe Mr. Brunner is accepting applications or conducting any more interviews.” Percy tried to send the girl a sympathetic smile.

“That can’t be right!” Her gray eyes flashed with anger. “This can’t be happening, I submitted my application online like two weeks ago, and I didn’t receive any call back or communication. My roommate Piper works here, she can vouch for my work ethic. Or please just let me speak to the store owner, I really need to---”

“Woah, woah,” Percy interrupted. “I’m sorry that you didn’t receive any communication, and I’m sure Piper can vouch for you, but when I tell you there is no open position there isn’t an open position.”

Annabeth pulled her bag out from under her arm and started to rifle through it, shoving papers at Percy. “Look here, I printed out the application and filled it out, here’s, oh I know it’s here somewhere. I have a letter of recommendation from the last place I worked at I’m sure it’s here--”

“Annabeth, right, I’m sure your application is wonderful-”

“You know I used to work at New Rome, across town. Reyna, the owner, said I was the best salesperson ever. That I was determined, dependable, trustworthy. Trustworthy, isn’t that such a good trait. Now that letter-”

“Right, again, Annabeth I am sorry we aren’t able to offer you a position at this time,” Percy was trying to hold the receipts and pens that Annabeth had shoved into his hands, getting more annoyed with her by the second.

“It’s just, I really need a job right now,” Annabeth continued, getting tired of trying to prove her worth. Just as Percy was about to respond, Mr. Brunner interrupted the two.

“Now Mr. Jackson, is there something wrong or can you not assist your client properly?”

Percy sighed, ready to launch into an explanation but Annabeth beat him to it.

“Hello Mr. Brunner, my name is Annabeth Chase and I am inquiring about the part time position that was advertised? I submitted an online application but hadn’t heard back from the store, so I have a hard copy with me now and a letter of recommendation from my previous place of work.” A smart smile formed on her face, gray eyes pleading.

“Well I am sorry Ms. Chase, but we are currently at full operational staff here at The Big House. If there is anything else I can help you with today please let me know.” Brunner smiled softly, and walked away from the pair of them. Annabeth huffed, looking at the ground muttering something about how she was going to wring Piper’s neck.  
Percy smirked. He loved working and helping customers, but like anyone in retail he also found immense joy when the customer was proved wrong. And Annabeth had been getting on his nerves, so he was happy to see her put in her place. He could vaguely hear Mr. Brunner try and pitch the cigar box to another customer, as he watched Annabeth try and put all her papers back in her bag.

He took a step back and started refolding some sweaters that were on display, and trying his best not to be too smug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They finally meet! Thank you again for reading and thank you for the kudos! Theres some more good stuff coming, I'm going to try and update at least once a week (it will probably be more often than that), these past few chapters were previously written so that's why they've been uploaded so quickly!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, I decided to combine both POVs and really enjoyed how it turned out. Thank you for checking my story out, it means a lot to me :)

Annabeth's POV

Annabeth wanted to wipe that smirk off this clerk’s face. Percy Jackson. Piper spoke about him sometimes, he was assistant to the manager, or something like that, and a lot of the other employees believed that Mr. Brunner would leave the business to Percy when he retired. Annabeth wondered why when he clearly didn’t understand the first thing about customer service: the customer was always right. Although, maybe she wasn’t a customer, just a broke girl looking for a part time job, either way she knows she saw them advertising a part time position and that she was the most qualified for the job.

Piper also mentioned that he was cute, not Piper’s personal type, but even Piper couldn’t deny his good looks. She even mentioned setting Annabeth and him up on a date, which Annabeth always turned down believing that she could handle her own love life without any interference. She was reluctant to admit that she was almost speechless when he stared at her with those sea green eyes of his, they seemed to swirl dark and light. She could have spent a whole day looking at them, but then he had to be an annoying jerk. Hot guys were always assholes. 

Annabeth was struggling with putting all her papers back in her bag, trying not to fold and ruin them but also wanting to get out of the store as quickly as possible. Anything to escape the awkwardness she was feeling and the smug looks that she knew Percy was still sending her. She concluded that Piper must be on her lunch break or something as she looked around the store and failed to find her roommate. She was slightly grateful that Piper didn’t witness her failure, and also slightly angry that Piper wasn’t here to stand up for her.

Just as she was getting ready to leave she overheard Mr. Brunner trying to sell what looked like a black velvet box to a lady who was clearly having none of it. This was it, she thought-If I could sell this item they’ll have to offer me a job. She knew this could be a flawed plan, it could end up with her being banned from the store, but she needed this job and if this was the only way to prove herself then she was going to do it. Annabeth turned and shoved her bag into the hands of a surprised and annoyed Percy. She sent him a quick sarcastic smile before turning around. She ran her fingers through her hair and smoothed out her shirt as she made her way to the customer. 

“I’m sorry,” she started, putting on her best customer service smile, “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. What seems to be the matter?”

The lady looked at her incredulously, “He seems to be trying to sell me a box. I just want to know why I would need it.” 

Annabeth took the velvet box from Mr. Brunner’s hands leaving the older man surprised but intrigued by what she was attempting to do. “Why this is an elegant candy box, designed to fit in with the luxurious decor of any home. Take a look at the fine craftsmanship.” Annabeth opened the box and was surprised to hear a tinny tune come out of the box. Oh god, she thought, how was she going to sell this thing now. 

“And the music?” the older lady questioned. Annabeth snuck a confused look at the clerks in the store, eyeing Piper as she came back from her break. The clerks didn’t return her gaze, all trying to look disinterested and unaware of the whole situation. 

She turned back to the customer, “Well the music serves a function. You see, um, candy and sweets have a sneaky way of being consumed all at once in one large serving which can upset stomachs or ruin dinners. So by having the music play it serves as a reminder to not overindulge, but in a pretty and discrete manner.” 

If she wasn’t holding the box with her two hands Annabeth would have crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped that the customer bought her lie. The older lady took the box from Annabeth, opened and closed it a few times before saying she would take it. Annabeth released the breath she had been holding. The other clerks watched in amazement, Annabeth noticed Percy roll his eyes and tell the customer he could help cash her out. Annabeth thanked her new client and shook her hand, as Mr. Brunner approached her. 

“Well, um, I’m sorry, what was your name again miss?” 

“Chase, Ms. Annabeth Chase.” She said, beaming. 

“Well, Ms. Annabeth Chase. You have a real skill in sales and I’d like to offer you a job.” 

“Thank you sir, I won’t disappoint!” Annabeth followed her new boss to his office to fill out some paperwork, sending a smile and wave to Piper as she passed and a smirk to her new coworker as she grabbed her bag from him. 

“Seems like you are hiring afterall,” she turned away from him and climbed the stairs to the office. She could feel him glaring at her but she was so happy she found a job that she wouldn’t let him ruin her mood. 

She thanked Mr. Brunner again for the opportunity, and explained to him her schedule that she had with her architecture internship. Together they crafted her schedule for the store, she’d be working there three days a week, and as the holiday season approached she’d pick up another day or more hours. Annabeth smiled and thanked her boss for what felt like the millionth time. Mr. Brunner laughed and thanked her, telling her how right before she entered the store he had made a bet with Percy about being able to sell one of the cigar boxes and she just helped him earn free lunch for tomorrow on Percy’s dime. Annabeth laughed and told him to treat himself. She excused herself from the office and said she’d see him for her shift on Wednesday. She made her way down the stairs from the office, spotting Piper shamelessly flirting with her coworker Greg. Annabeth had the pleasure (or displeasure) of meeting the guy a few times beforehand and hoped that today he wasn’t being his usual sleazeball self. 

“I can’t believe you got the job!” Piper gave her friend a hug, and a huge smile. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me they weren’t actually hiring yet,” Annabeth deadpanned, but kept a smile on her face so Piper knew she was joking. 

Piper laughed, “Yeah that may have slipped my mind, but in my defense Mr. Brunner would have been a fool to not have hired you whether or not the store needed clerks.” 

“Thanks, I’m going to head back to the apartment and finish up some of my drawings before starting dinner. Are you going to be back tonight or,” Annabeth sent a quick glance at Greg. 

“Oh, um, I think I’m going to be out tonight.” Piper blushed a little and laughed. 

The girls said a quick goodbye to each other, and Annabeth nodded at Greg, relieved that he decided to go back to staring at Piper instead of going in for a hug. 

Annabeth left the store and felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders, sure she would have to deal with the insufferable Percy Jackson, but she’d be able to pay her bills and be able to buy some more architecture supplies. As she was walking towards her car she remembered that she needed to check her mailbox, the thought sent chills down her spine and a bigger smile made its way onto her face. It had been about a week since she sent her letter, reasonable time to get a response back since it was all local mail. She climbed into her car and drove to the post office, trying to calm her racing heart. She knew that the first letter she sent wasn’t much, it was short and it didn’t really say anything about her or her interests. Only a crazy person would respond back, she really hoped that they wrote back. In a few short moments she arrived at the post office and she made her way to her P.O. box, opening it and finding a few envelopes inside; she grabbed them and shuffled through them as she made her way back to her car. Just before she opened her door she saw it, in between her credit card statement and some junk mail. The envelope was a crisp white, addressed to Dear Friend. That was her, she giggled softly. She quickly jumped into her car and opened the letter, fingers caressing the messy handwriting of her new secret friend. 

The letter went like this: 

_Dear Friend,_

_I want to be completely honest, your letter isn’t the only one I’ve received, but it is the only one I wanted to respond to. I hope I don’t freak you out when I say that I felt a need to respond to your letter, and I really hope I don’t freak you out when I say I hope to keep receiving letters from you._

_I know this whole thing is awkward. I was really unsure of what was going to happen when I put my ad in the paper, but your letter seems to have reassured me that I did the right thing._

_I’m assuming you would like to know a little about me. Oh man this is so weird. I’m tall I guess, not freaky tall but you know sometimes girls appreciate a taller man, and I’m actually like 26 so like I’m not a creepy old guy trying to scam you._

Annabeth laughed at that part, and trusted her secret admirer was telling the truth. She liked his sense of humor. 

_I really love the color blue because my favorite place on earth is the beach. What else am I missing? I’m one of the head workers at a retail place in the city, I really like my job there and my coworkers are pretty cool. I’m a sucker for reality tv and am currently rewatching Avatar the Last Airbender (I would totally be a waterbender). I also like watching documentaries about the ocean, or sea life (see I can also be an intellectual). I also really like to bake, so you know if this works out I could totally send you some of my killer cookies (they don’t actually kill, but I have heard that people would die to have one, so you know ;) ) My last interest I’ll leave you with is my taste in music. I pretty much listen to anything and everything, you can always find an early 2000s mixtape in my car._

_Well I hope you get this letter, and I hope I managed to interest you in some way. And maybe you could let me know some things about yourself._

_Love, (is love too weird, too soon? I don’t know how to write letters.)_

_Your Friend_

_P.S. please write back :)_

Annabeth clutched the letter to her chest, her smile almost splitting her face and her stomach full of butterflies. She couldn’t wait to get home and write him back. She put the letter back carefully and placed it in the passenger seat, starting her car and making her way to her apartment. The entire way she kept glancing down at the letter, making sure it was real and not just a figment of her imagination. 

She may have put her early 2000s playlist on, and she might have been humming along to “Love Story” by Taylor Swift and she might have let herself imagine falling in love with this mysterious Friend. 

As soon as she got into her apartment she pulled out her stationary. She had always been a fan of fancy pens, nice paper, and she recently had gotten into wax seals. It made letters feel more like a present, and presents are always nice. Annabeth had the letter that was sent to her nearby, she wanted to let her new friend know which parts made her laugh and she also couldn’t bear to part with it yet. She got to work writing a response, trying to seem interesting and interested. When she was finished she sealed it with her favorite owl stamp and put away all her supplies. She put the letter she wrote in her bag and planned to mail it out tomorrow. 

Since Piper wasn’t going to be home tonight, Annabeth took advantage of being alone in their apartment. She put on her favorite album, changed into comfy clothes, and started getting dinner ready. Annabeth wasn’t the best cook, but as long as there was a recipe to follow she did pretty okay. She hummed along while she ate dinner, feeling accomplished and excited about tomorrow. She needed to do some shopping so she could look the part of working at The Big House, and her first shift was in a day so tomorrow was the only option. Chiron mentioned she could go through some older seasons of clothes for free, so Annabeth planned that after mailing out her letter she’d return back to the boutique. Maybe she would run into Percy. She wasn’t particularly pleased with that idea considering how he had treated her but maybe they could make amends (she highly doubted it, as he was the most infuriating and annoying man she had met in a long time, but hey a girl could dream). 

Annabeth went to sleep with a smile on her face, tomorrow would be fun. 

Percy’s POV 

He couldn’t believe Mr. Brunner had hired her. She was so frustrating, a true know it all, and on top of it all she made him lose the bet he had; now he was going to have to buy lunch for his boss tomorrow. Percy huffed through the rest of his shift, not even jokes from his friend Grover could pick his mood up. He just couldn’t get that blonde out of his head.

As the staff was going through their closing checklist, Percy noticed Piper approaching him. Percy had always liked Piper, she was funny and really smart even though a lot of people tended to write her off as a ditz. Piper always seemed to take it in stride though, her self confidence was something to be admired. 

“So you finally met Annabeth,” Piper started. She had been not-so-subtly trying to set Percy and Annabeth up in the past, mentioning she had a roommate their age who was super pretty, witty, and kind. Now that Percy had met Annabeth he could confidently say she was pretty, and that calling her kind was a stretch. 

“I don’t know how you live with her, she’s so ugh. She makes you feel like an idiot if you don’t agree with her.” Percy wouldn’t call himself the smartest guy in the room, but he hated bullies and he hated having his intelligence attacked. Annabeth was a bully, so Percy wasn’t going to befriend her (even if she was very pretty and had eyes that sparkled with wisdom and confidence). 

Piper smiled, “Yeah, she takes some getting used too and I promise she’s not normally like that. She’s the best friend I’ve got and she’s a super hard worker, but I totally understand you not wanting to be her friend right away.” 

“Well I’m gonna be seeing her a lot more often and probably be in charge of training her so, I don’t know, maybe I’ll warm up to her.” Percy knew he was lying through the skin of his teeth, but he also hated disappointing people and didn’t want to hurt Piper’s feelings by trashing on her friend.

Percy and Piper said goodbye, he smiled seeing her and Greg head out of the shop together, hand in hand. Even if their relationship was the definition of terrible he thought it must be nice to have someone to go through the world with, even if that person was a jerk like Greg. Grover and Percy finished closing the shop, saying goodbye to Mr. Brunner and made their way to the bus stop. Grover was a huge advocate of being environmentally aware, and he roped Percy into the wonders of public transportation after forcing him to watch several nature documentaries and sending him countless articles on climate change. Percy liked doing his part to help save the planet, and he liked seeing his friend happy so it was a win-win. 

As they got into their respective seats on the bus, Grover turned his head to Percy. “So what do you think of that Annabeth girl?” 

Percy groaned. Grover laughed at him. “I don’t know, she really got on my nerves and made me look like an idiot in front of Brunner, but Piper said I just have to wait to get used to her.” 

Grover laughed again, “That’s not what I meant dude, I meant you were kind of, not so discreetly checking her out. What happened to your letter girl?”

Percy blushed. “I was not obvious. Or was I? Oh my god, that was why she was rude, she thought I was a creep.” Even if she was rude, Percy hated making women feel uncomfortable. His mom raised him better than that.

“It was obvious, but I’m sure she didn’t notice because she was checking you out too!” Grover laughed again, seeing his friend squirm in discomfort. 

“She was not, she was definitely too busy yelling at me. And as for ‘letter girl’, hopefully my letter didn’t freak her out and I get a response soon.” Percy was happy to talk about anything else other than the new girl, even if the idea that she was mutually attracted to him made him the tiniest bit happy. Which was dumb because she was obviously not interested in him, no matter what Grover claimed he saw. 

The conversation ended there as they reached Percy’s stop. He said a quick goodbye to his friend and told Grover to tell Juniper he said hi. He made his way to his apartment building, enjoying the nice weather that early September provided. He found his roommate Jason laying on the couch watching an episode of Storm Chasers, trying to keep from falling asleep. 

“Good Morning princess,” Percy said in a sing-songy voice. He heard Jason groan as he made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water. 

“Shut up, I went to bed super late last night and had an exam this afternoon.” Jason pulled himself off of the couch to join his roommate in the kitchen. “So what are you making me for dinner?” 

Percy laughed. Jason was studying to be an optometrist, and with all the studying and testing his sleep schedule was that of a mystery to Percy. “I’ll make your favorite if you promise to vacuum the apartment and do your laundry.” 

“Ugh, I guess I can manage that,” Jason said with a laugh. The pair of boys worked well together as roommates, Jason usually enjoyed keeping the shared spaces clean and Percy was a pretty good cook. It also helped that they had known each other since high school, Percy would call Jason his brother over calling him just a friend. 

As Percy began dinner, and Jason finished tidying the apartment they talked about their days. Percy mentioned his incident with Annabeth, noting how Jason’s head perked up a little more when he said Piper’s name. 

“So this Annabeth chick is Piper’s roommate? The one Piper wanted to set you up with?” Jason asked. 

Percy looked up from the stovetop to look at his friend. “Yes, that’s the one. It’s a shame she turned out to be such a smartass, I could have tried to get you a double date.” Percy winked at Jason, who’s cheeks began to redden. 

Jason pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “NO, no, no, that’s not what I meant. Me and Piper. HA. I laugh at you. Plus isn’t she with that idiot George or whatever his name is,” failing to convince Percy that he was interested in Piper. 

“Yeah she is still with that guy, Greg. But I’m sure if she met you and got to hear all about your sick optometrist stuff she would leave him in a heartbeat.” 

“Ha, ha, ha. You think you’re so funny Percy, last I checked you haven’t talked to a girl since how long-” Jason was interrupted in his attempt at trying to get a reaction out of Percy. 

“Hey, it hasn’t been that long, plus I may or may not be talking to someone now.” Percy turned back to the stovetop trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. 

Jason jumped off the counter he was sitting on and pulled Percy to look at him, “You’re talking to someone? What dude, since when? Who is she?”

“Relax man, um, well it’s kind of funny. I actually don’t know her name, or what she looks like or, um anything really.” Percy’s blush was deepening by the second and he looked a bit sheepish. 

Jason was left very confused, “You don’t know anything about her? How are you talking to, oh my god you did it. You put an ad in the paper didn’t you? I don’t know if I should be proud of you or call you an idiot.” Jason laughed at the end, letting Percy know he was joking. 

“Um, probably an idiot. I mean we’ve only exchanged like one letter each and her letter was like three sentences and like she could totally be an old weird dude but maybe she’s like really cool and her letter smelled like lemon and like that has to mean something and-OH MY GOD I AM BURNING THE CHICKEN!” Percy turned towards the stove, turning the overhead fan on and shutting the flame off. Jason was in stitches watching his friend try and salvage the chicken for their meal. “Dude could you not have said something?” Percy tried to act mad but he was also laughing, he was so wrapped up in this mysterious letter girl that he burnt his dinner. 

“Well I was trying to say something but you had like cartoon heart eyes when you were talking about her. I’m happy for you man, you deserve some happiness and as for the chicken maybe this was a sign to order take out.” 

The two boys cleaned up the kitchen, Jason ended up putting in an order for Chinese food, lo mein for Percy and General Tso’s Chicken for Jason. Over dinner Percy explained what he wrote back to his ‘Dear Friend’ and how he really hoped she would write back soon. Jason thought that it was a joke at first, which Percy had expected. 

“No, dude, like I’m actually writing letters to this girl. And hopefully she’ll write back,” Percy had a dreamlike smile on his face. He was already picturing taking this mystery girl out on a date and he didn’t care that he didn’t know what she looked like or anything else about her. He was content in knowing that they both knew how insane it was to write letters to a person you didn’t know and try to find love at the same time. He was scared to think about the love part of this whole ordeal, he shared his concerns with Jason. 

Jason put a hand on Percy’s shoulder. “Percy, if anyone is going to make this work it’s you. But like try and relax, you’ve sent her one letter, save your freaking out for when she asks to meet you in person.”

Percy was grateful to have a friend like Jason. He was always calm, and really good at reading situations that he wasn’t involved in. As soon as Jason himself entered the problem he was just as big of a mess as Percy was. 

“Okay, enough about me, let’s get back to you and, hmmm I don’t know, Piper?” Percy tried to keep his grin off his face. He knew about the terrible crush that Jason had been harboring for his coworker for the past few months. It all started when Jason swung by The Big House to give Percy a coffee and look for some clothes for an interview he had. Piper had helped him out, complimenting him as he went in and out of the dressing room. Percy was too good of a friend to tell Jason that was Piper’s usual routine of getting clients to buy off of her. 

Jason’s face flushed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but say if I did, I would wonder why she’s still with that idiot Greg.” Jason said Greg’s name with such disgust you would think he committed a crime, which Percy thought, with the way he treats Piper is a pretty good comparison. 

It was now Percy’s turn to give advice. “Well, I don’t want to sugarcoat it, you know their relationship is as temperamental as our toaster oven,” he sent a glare at the appliance sitting on their counter top. “But I really can’t see it lasting any longer, Greg has been bragging to Grover and me about all the dates he’s been racking up with his clientele. It’s only a matter of time before Piper finds out, or her friend Annabeth seeing that she’s going to be working with us now.” Percy tried to keep the disdain out of his voice as he remembered his new coworker. 

Jason sighed, pushing around the last few pieces of chicken around on his plate. He looked deep in thought, comparing and weighing out the different things he wanted to say. Just as Percy was going to remind his dear friend what a stand-out guy he was Jason started to smile. 

Jason turned his face to look at Percy and said, “You know, maybe you and Annabeth will work things out and you can help me try and score a date with Piper.” 

Percy almost spit out the water he was drinking. Him and Annabeth working together, well enough to help their friends foster a relationship, would probably be the last thing to happen. Jason would have a better time getting a date by framing Greg for murder. 

“I know, I know, it’s a long shot. But think about it for your old friend’s sake!” Jason stood up from their small kitchen table with his dinner plate in hand, clapping Percy on the shoulder and wishing him a good night before putting his plate in the sink to be done later. 

Percy knew that Jason had work to get done or sleep to catch up on, so he wasn’t going to try and keep the conversation going. He too took his plate to the sink, and being the great roommate he was did both his and Jason’s dishes. Once he was done and saw that it wasn’t that late yet, he jumped on the couch to do a small binge of Avatar the Last Airbender. He tried his best to focus on the show, but his mind kept wandering to his mysterious letter girl, to the new feisty hire that was Annabeth Chase, to his coffee he would have in the morning. 

As soon as Percy noticed it was close to midnight he realized he hadn’t paid attention to the last 5 episodes and realized he should make his way to bed. After shutting the television off, brushing his teeth, and climbing into bed, Percy sent a silent prayer to whoever would listen, “I hope she writes back soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I would really appreciate any feedback!  
> The chapters get longer as the story goes, so get ready :)


End file.
